Where can I learn about WAI-ARIA?

The best place to start learning about WAI-ARIA and to get updated information about the WAI-ARIA documents is the WAI-ARIA Overview, which:

introduces how WAI-ARIA defines a way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities, especially dynamic content and advanced user interface controls developed with Ajax (also known as AJAX), HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies

What is the current status of WAI-ARIA development?

March 2014 Update

WAI-ARIA 1.1 is expected to include only a few changes from 1.0. Most potential changes will be considered for WAI-ARIA 2.0. WAI-ARIA 1.1 was published as a First Public Working Draft on 26 September 2013. The primary change in this Draft is the addition of aria-describedat. The in-progress Editors' Draft of WAI-ARIA 1.1 is the latest unpublished draft — it might include early ideas that are not yet well developed, vetted, or approved.

When updated WAI-ARIA versions will be finalized depends on many factors, such as if additional comments come in, how long it takes to gather implementations, and how long
is needed for the remaining stages of the W3C Process.

WAI-ARIA is developed under the W3C Process introduced in How WAI Develops Accessibility Guidelines through the W3C Process. The W3C Process helps ensure that WAI-ARIA reflects the diverse needs of a
broad community, including industry, disability organizations, accessibility
researchers, government, and others interested in Web accessibility.

You are invited to comment on WAI-ARIA drafts. Calls for Review and document stages are announced via:

Is WAI-ARIA supported in browsers, assistive technologies, and other user agents?

Yes, WAI-ARIA is already supported in several browsers and assistive technologies (even though it is not finalized yet). Once WAI-ARIA is stable, WAI will collect and publish a list of WAI-ARIA implementations, that is, what supports WAI-ARIA. Some information on WAI-ARIA support is already available on other Web sites.

What happens in older browsers when WAI-ARIA is implemented?

Nothing; WAI-ARIA coding methods have no effect on how Web content renders in older browsers. In browsers that do not support WAI-ARIA, Web content that adds WAI-ARIA attributes will simply continue to work as it currently does in those browsers.

Some organizations have already started implementing WAI-ARIA in their Web content. Much of WAI-ARIA focuses on advanced Web applications. WAI-ARIA also helps improve accessibility in simple sites using only basic HTML.

Web developers can implement WAI-ARIA in two ways:

Use existing toolkits that incorporate WAI-ARIA techniques. In this case, you don't need to understand much about WAI-ARIA since it's already built in.

Include WAI-ARIA techniques in your custom widgets. When developing custom widgets, add WAI-ARIA properties to provide basic type (role), state and change information. Documentation and examples are available in the WAI-ARIA Best Practices. You should test the results using screen readers, other assistive technologies, and testing tools, some of which are available for free. If you need help, you can sign up for the wai-xtech mailing list and ask questions there.

Does WAI-ARIA significantly increase the amount of code?

No, the amount of additional code required in Web content and in browsers, assistive technologies, and other user agents is minimal. For Web content, generally only a few additional attributes are needed.

For browsers, WAI-ARIA requires that descriptions are added only to the module that implements accessibility, not to the core browser. The accessibility module then passes information about role, state, and changes in state through mechanisms that are already supported. WAI-ARIA therefore integrates well with existing accessibility interfaces and does not require generation of significantly more code.

Do WAI-ARIA methods increase the complexity of the development process?

Including WAI-ARIA support does require a little extra effort, yet it is not significantly more than usual development. For those developing static Web pages or using libraries with WAI-ARIA built in, implementing WAI-ARIA is fairly straightforward. Developing custom, cross-browser JavaScript widgets is more complex, and implementing WAI-ARIA in these is proportionally more complex.

Is the "ARIA" that is mentioned by other organizations the same as WAI-ARIA?

As far as we know, all of the documents and references to "ARIA" that are related to making Web sites accessible are actually references to WAI-ARIA.

"WAI-ARIA" is the abbreviation for the Accessible Rich Internet Applications documents. In order to avoid confusion, please use "WAI-ARIA" (instead of just "ARIA"), at least in titles, headings, and on first reference in documentation.